The field of the invention is slitting tools for cylindrical objects such as filaments.
Slitting and stripping tools have long been used to remove insulation from electrical wire. For example, Edwards et al in U.S. Pat. No. 2,120,398 disclose a cable stripping tool having four knives arranged crosswise around a central passage through which the wire is to be pulled. Coiled springs maintain the blades in a retracted position until use of the blades is desired. A detent is used to adjust blade depth.
Slitting tools have also been used to slit buffer tubes carrying an optical fiber in a gel. For instance, Genovese et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,549, disclose such a tool having opposed but offset blades.
A more recent problem to be solved is the removal of an exterior layer directly applied to an optical fiber. A slitting tool used for such purpose would require an accuracy in the depth of cut to the order of microns or thousandths of an inch. In response to the previous lack of such a tool, the industry has resorted to alternatives such as more easily strippable radiation cured coatings, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,021. Still, the development of a more accurate slitting tool would be an advance in the industry.